Does the beer make you fat? The myth of the beer belly and its consumption in diets
Now that we are on the doorstep that the heat finally arrives and that the good weather makes an appearance, there is no doubt that it is always a good time to enjoy all the flavor -and the nutritional benefits- that a good beer. With or without alcohol, the truth is that it is a healthy drink although insulted by many, especially when we follow a diet of weight loss. In fact, it is true that there may be certain doubts directly or indirectly related to the possibility of drink alcohol when you follow a diet to lose weight.
If you follow a diet to lose weight it is quite likely that at some point you have asked the following question: is it true that alcoholic beverages get fat ?.
If so, you may have already discovered that, indeed, given that alcohol tends to be digested much faster in our body, our body gives greater priority to the digestion of alcohol than to the digestion of those foods that we eat, so that it ends up being stored in the form of fat.
Therefore, alcohol makes you fat, but we must bear in mind that it is not the same to drink alcohol regularly, than to do it in a timely manner. In the case of beer, is characterized by being a generally healthy drink, since it is made with nutritionally healthy cereals, as is the case of barley, malt and hops and whose alcohol content is not as high as that of other alcoholic beverages (as occurs for example with those known as spirits).
Is it true that beer increases in weight?
Before answering this question, a good option is to pay attention to the beer calories. Considering its caloric content, we know that a glass of blond beer contributes 90 kilocalories, a glass of dark beer 112 kilocalories, a glass of beer without alcohol 40 kilocalories, and a glass of beer 0.0 contributes 19 kilocalories.
At this point, it is true that depending on the type of beer we consume, and whether it contains alcohol or not, will tend to fatten more or less.
We must bear in mind that what mainly fattens beer is its alcohol content, which means that beer with alcohol is fattening, and its consumption is not recommended in slimming diets.
Even beer without alcohol possesses alcohol, although in low quantities (between 0.4º to 0.9º), so the best option is to opt for those beers that do not contain any alcohol, especially if you follow a diet with the goal of losing weight.
However, conclusions recently published by the ICTAN (Institute of Science and Technology of Food and Nutrition), the habitual -and moderate- beer consumers tend to have a more adequate body composition in comparison with people who do not consume beer.
Moreover, we must not forget something fundamental: fermented beverages are part of the well-known Mediterranean diet, so well known and popular precisely because it is a diet rich in healthy foods and drinks and because it is the best from a nutritional point of view.
The Spanish Society of Dietetics and Food Sciences ensures that beer consumption not only does not make you fat but also has positive effects on our health, thanks to its content in water and cereals and its nutritional wealth: vitamins of group B, polyphenols, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, silicon and folates.
The myth of the 'beer belly'
Different scientific studies that have been carried out in recent years in our country have shown that in reality the beer does not generate the typical 'belly' (popularly known by the simple name of 'beer belly'), and those foods with which we accompany beer.
That is to say, what tends to generate the beer belly are the foods that we usually tend to eat as we drink this drink: chips, sausages ... in general, many foods rich in saturated fats that are not adequate in healthy and slimming diets . It is the same as if a glass of water (which does not get fat at all) we accompany with a bowl of chips.
For example, a study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that, in fact, the increase in body mass that could be seen in the habitual consumers of beer is not due to beer itself but to other factors such as inadequate eating habits, the monitoring of an unhealthy lifestyle and even to purely genetic factors.
Beer in slimming diets
Although the beer It has been one of the most prohibited drinks when you follow a diet of weight loss, it is false that people who want to lose weight can not take a good cane.
Although it is true that it is a low-energy fermented drink, many specialists in nutrition and dietetics assure that it can be included in any diet or diet as long as the recommended amounts are not exceeded.
These amounts go through about two canes in men (about 20g / day), and one cane in women (10g / day).
Of course, in case you want to enjoy all its flavor but without contributing just a few calories to your diet, always opt for the alcohol-free beer. And watch what you eat with her! This article is published for informational purposes only. You can not and should not replace the consultation with a Nutritionist. We advise you to consult your trusted Nutritionist. ThemesAlcohol
